The black sun hangs high

Chapter 460 "The Grand Plan"

"Is it simply because of similar viewpoints?"

Hughes was not entirely satisfied with the explanation given by the deity before him. He asked, "Don't you think it's a little subjective and perfunctory?"

"That's true, but what can we do about it?"

A bitter expression appeared on the deity's face. She shook her head helplessly and pointed to her own face: "The owner of this face is of course great and wise, but she is also limited... At that time, she had to devote all her time and energy to those almost endless struggles. Under such circumstances, it was extremely difficult to organize systematic knowledge and theories."

"Moreover, at that time, Vaan had just entered a new era. Even she would inevitably rely on her intuition and experience when dealing with various new problems, and use the power she possessed to solve the problems directly."

At this point, she glanced at Hugh: "After all, Vaan's development path and foundation are far too different from that other world..."

Her tone was somewhat subtle, and Hugh even felt that there was a hint of envy in her words.

Yes, I'm envious.

Hughes wasn't quite sure whether the object of the other person's envy was the simple and unadorned development process in that other world, or the thoughts that constantly flickered in the process of development.

He pondered for two seconds, then looked up at those eyes shrouded in black shadows: "But in any case, that world has already been swallowed by the Abyss... or rather, it has become the Abyss itself, and the new struggle belonging to Vaan has only just begun."

"Oh, yes."

The deity chuckled softly, then raised an eyebrow, her gaze falling on Hugh's face, her voice becoming playful: "You weren't just trying to comfort me, were you? Hmm?"

"..."

The familiar feeling belonging to Theseus immediately overflowed, causing Hugh to roll his eyes. He relaxed his body, leaned back in his chair, and replied, "Indeed, the image you are currently using has a significant impact on me."

"Huh? You're being so direct?"

"Wouldn't it be better to be more direct for the sake of making the next decision?"

Hugh looked at Mel's clear face before him with a complicated expression. He sighed and said, "To be honest, I originally thought I would be shocked or surprised by these so-called truths I had just encountered, but in the end, I only felt somewhat calm..."

Numb?

"Perhaps, after all, I had already seen the true nature of the Dark Abyss before that... Compared to this, the secrets I myself am hiding are rather insignificant."

After saying this, Hugh saw the deity in front of him smile silently. She raised her hand and casually tossed over a bottle of chilled "Color of Life" beverage.

Hughes reached out and caught it, and then he heard the deity say, “This is somewhat unexpected. I thought you would be angry about this, after all, it involves your origins and your views on the whole world and everything in it.”

"But so what?"

As he spoke, Hugh pulled open the tab of the can with a deft touch. He said slowly, “Even if I knew the truth, my understanding of all this wouldn’t change substantially. After all, what exists in my mind now is still the same old stuff… I can’t and shouldn’t try to think or speculate without considering these fundamentals.”

As he spoke, he brought the drink to his lips. As the cold, rich magic entered his mouth, much of the despondency and confusion that had been lingering in Hugh's mental world was washed away.

After fully absorbing this fresh magic, Hugh continued, "It may sound a little strange, but it's the truth—the foundations that support my judgment and actions are pieced together from fragments of another world. Compared to the memories that truly belong to 'Hugh Ernst,' they are more powerful and more real. In any case, I can no longer leave them unless I want to embrace destruction."

Hearing this, the deity curled his lips and said, "How boring... I was expecting you to struggle with this contradiction for a while, but I didn't expect you to adapt and accept it so quickly."

"Ha, maybe it's just like you said, I have indeed become a bit numb."

Hughes pointed to his head and laughed, “Besides, I really think they’re pretty good. I’ve looked back at the decisions I’ve made in the past under their guidance… While they weren’t perfect, they didn’t lead to any major mistakes, and the results were relatively optimistic. So why shouldn’t I continue to accept and use them?”

The deity was silent for two seconds before speaking: "You know what, this is the first time you've truly surprised me."

"my pleasure."

Hugh squinted, took two more sips of the "Color of Life," and then asked, "What I really want to know is, what is your purpose and plan in doing this?"

As he spoke, Hugh looked up and saw that the other person was also looking at him intently. The deep shadows in the other person's eyes kept rolling, but they did not bring him the heavy sense of unease and oppression that he used to have.

"I have indeed prepared some plans, or rather, a general direction... I'd like to hear your opinion on which one to choose and implement."

Hugh couldn't help but sit up straight. He sensed the seriousness and sincerity in her tone, an attitude rarely seen from "Theseus," which seemed to confirm the importance of the proposal she was about to put forward.

Seeing that Hugh had adopted a listening posture, the deity said slowly, "First, I must tell you that your comrades in Vain are facing an extremely important challenge... This challenge does not come from the Black Sun Society, but from within them."

Hughes was somewhat surprised by the sudden mention of the Dawn Society, but he immediately realized the importance of the other person's words: "You mean, there's a traitor within the Dawn Society?"

"You can understand it that way."

The deity nodded: "You should know very well that at critical moments, the hidden dangers within are always more deadly than external enemies. And once an external enemy launches a new attack at such a time, the blow to a group or organization will be magnified infinitely, and may even bring about its destruction." "What's worse is that these potential traitors may involve the Dawn Society's prestige among the people and those who are trying to infiltrate the Kingdom of Saint Steel, such as... certain people who are very close to you. The Black Sun Society may be very eager to obtain some secrets related to you from them."

Hugh frowned. He understood Theseus's meaning. Based on the situation before he arrived at the Dark Abyss, the most likely group of spies and secret agents, led by Virin, were still in the Kingdom of Saint Steel.

If a traitor emerges within the Dawn Society, then these key personnel who have infiltrated Saint Steel will inevitably find themselves in an extremely dire situation.

Even a fool could have guessed that the Black Sun Society would put Verine on their top target list.

He squeezed the armrest of the chair and asked, "What do you want me to do by telling me this?"

As if sensing Hugh's inner worry, the deity smiled with a hint of mischief. Then she raised her hand and pressed it down in the air: "Don't be nervous. Although the situation is indeed very dangerous, there's no point in rushing things now... Besides, you should trust the decisions of your comrades, right?"

"Of course I trust their decisions, but I also know that anything related to the Black Sun Society will inevitably involve some unconventional issues. These things, which are related to ancient magic and rituals, are difficult to judge through reason and wisdom."

"Hmm, you seem quite sober, that's good."

The deity nodded in satisfaction: "The reason I'm telling you these things isn't so that you can just sit here and worry."

"If you were still wandering in the Dark Abyss Wasteland, you would certainly have no way to interfere with Vaan's affairs. But now it's different. Under the right conditions, you can transmit some information and even real power and make them reach Vaan precisely."

Like a starlight flashing in the darkness, Theseus's words successfully pierced the heavy, somber curtain. Hughes precisely grasped that fleeting inspiration and couldn't help but ask, "You mean, the Continuation Base?"

"Completely correct."

The deity looked relaxed and pleased, and she looked at Hugh with satisfaction: "The beacon is in very good condition, so you are fully able to use it to transmit a considerable amount of messages and magic."

"But is this really feasible? I remember you said that although messages carried by magic have the power to directly affect reality, they are easily disordered and reorganized during their long journey. How can I ensure the accuracy and timely delivery of the messages? Also, I don't know what exactly should be sent out, let alone where it should be sent."

"Don't worry, I'll answer your questions one by one."

The deity smiled and raised a finger: "First, the reason why the messages transmitted by the beacon were disordered in the past was that the beacon was not actually 'aimed' precisely, or rather, the destination, Vaan, did not actually have a sufficiently accurate 'coordinate' to receive these messages."

"Secondly, the speed at which these messages are transmitted is not immutable. Based on my understanding of the Continuation Base, some of the equipment was designed with these considerations in mind when it was manufactured. However, this part of the functionality was not actually utilized when it was finally put into use."

She held up her third finger: "Finally, you certainly can't just send a message to Vaan for no reason... That's no different from spamming the megaphone in an online game. Before that, what you need to do is find the exact 'coordinates' and 'reference points' and communicate with the person on the other end."

"Can I understand that the first thing I need to do now is to 'dial' the number?"

"uh-huh."

"So how do I identify those so-called 'numbers'?"

"Naturally, it refers to those things that have had a close connection with you in the past. I mean, those things that have had a magical connection and communication with you."

At this point, a mischievous smile suddenly appeared on Mel's face: "Too bad, if you had had a sufficiently 'close' conversation with certain people before you came, this process would definitely have been much easier."

"..."

Hugh glanced at her, ignoring her strange remarks. He pondered for two seconds and said, "The beings with a direct magical connection to me... Justina should be one of them. She should be right next to Verin now, and I can use her to send some messages... In addition, I need a 'coordinate' that is connected to the inside of the Scions of Dawn."

"cane."

The deity offered its timely hint: "Although that staff is ultimately just an ordinary magical ritual implement, when you transformed yourself into a vessel of infinitely pure magic power that night, the staff itself will also be affected by the will of your mentor."

"But how do I know where it is now?"

"Remember when you were in Seren City, you used the Roots of Fate to observe the fates of some people... Think back carefully, who is most likely to obtain this staff?"

Hugh was slightly taken aback. In an instant, a flood of memories rushed through his mind, and within seconds, a scene was successfully captured before his eyes.

He was a middle-aged man with a somewhat weathered face. He looked rather thin, with a beard on his lips, and wore a simple overcoat. In his hand, he was clearly leaning on a slightly deformed metal cane.

That was none other than Felix.

Having gotten the answer he wanted, Hughes let out a long sigh of relief. He turned to Theseus beside him and asked, "So, everything that's happening now was actually part of your plan all along, wasn't it? You went to great lengths to get me to find the ratmen's tribe and their base of operations, all so that I could have the opportunity to use them?"

Theseus did not respond; she simply sat there calmly.

So Hugh continued, "Then I think you must have more requests than what we've just discussed... What exactly is your plan? What exactly do you want me to do for you in the Abyss?"

(End of this chapter)